THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS By Ajahn Sumedho - DharmaFlower.Net

eality; but if you profoundly understand and know that all that issubject to arising is subject to ceasing, then you will realise theultimate reality, the deathless, immortal truths. This is a skilfulmeans to that ultimate realisation. Notice the difference: thestatement is not a metaphysical one but one which takes us to themetaphysical realisation.MORTALITY AND CESSATIONWith the reflection upon the Noble Truths, we bring intoconsciousness this very problem of human existence. We look at thissense of alienation and blind attachment to sensory consciousness,the attachment to that which is separate and stands forth inconsciousness. Out of ignorance, we attach to desires for sensepleasures. When we identify with what is mortal or death-bound, andwith what is unsatisfactory, that very attachment is suffering.Sense pleasures are all mortal pleasures. Whatever we see, hear,touch, taste, think or feel is mortal - death-bound. So when we attachto the mortal senses, we attach to death. If we have not contemplatedor understood it, we just attach blindly to mortality hoping that wecan stave it off for a while. We pretend that we’re going to be reallyhappy with the things we attach to - only to feel eventuallydisillusioned, despairing and disappointed. We might succeed inbecoming what we want, but that too is mortal. We’re attaching toanother death-bound condition. Then, with the desire to die, we mightattach to suicide or to annihilation - but death itself is yet anotherdeath-bound condition. Whatever we attach to in these three kinds ofdesires, we’re attaching to death - which means that we’re going toexperience disappointment or despair.Death of the mind is despair; depression is a kind of death experienceof the mind. Just as the body dies a physical death, the mind dies.Mental states and mental conditions die; we call it despair, boredom,depression and anguish. Whenever we attach, if we’re experiencingboredom, despair, anguish and sorrow, we tend to seek some othermortal condition that’s arising. As an example, you feel despair andyou think, ‘I want a piece of chocolate cake.’ Off you go! For a momentyou can absorb into the sweet, delicious, chocolate flavour of thatpiece of cake. At that moment, there’s becoming - you’ve actuallybecome the sweet, delicious, chocolate flavour! But you can’t hold onto that very long. You swallow and what’s left? Then you have to go onto do something else. This is ‘becoming’.We are blinded, caught in this becoming process on the sensual plane.But through knowing desire without judging the beauty or ugliness ofthe sensual plane, we come to see desire as it is. There’s knowing.Then, by laying aside these desires rather than grasping at them, weexperience nirodha, the cessation of suffering. This is the Third Noble